Capabilities, Strategy, and Performance: The Case of ICT Firms in New Zealand

Smaller technology-based firms are critical for many economies. This study investigates the determinants of performance in a sample of 110 firms from the information and communication technology industry in New Zealand. It is a single industry study, reflecting the industry specificity of resource-based capabilities. Partial least squares methods are used to investigate relationships between capabilities, strategy, and performance. A product-innovation strategy maximized performance, mediating innovation and human capital capabilities. Pursuing a market-expansion strategy ahead of one of product innovation led to inferior performance outcomes. Financial and organizational capabilities had direct positive effects on performance irrespective of strategy

The Barriers to Growth in Ghana

This paper presents the results of ordered logit regression models of the problems faced by 500 entrepreneurs from six regions of Ghana against the characteristics of the entrepreneurs and their businesses and whether these were systematically related to a list of 37 factors that they perceived as limiting their ability to achieve their objectives in the period 2002–2005. The results show that the education, but not the sex or age of the entrepreneurs were related to business barriers. Family Businesses, growing businesses, those providing training and those which did not spend money on R&D were more likely to encounter business barriers. The findings of the research also revealed that in general firms in conurbations were more likely to encounter barriers